What is Aperture? Aperture is like the pupil part of the eye. It can be opened up or closed down depending on how much light you want to enter the camera. When you are in a low-light situation you want the aperture opened up as much as possible. In bright situations you have the option to close the aperture down to let in less light. F-Stop An f-stop is the number on your camera that tells how open or close the aperture is. The most confusing thing about aperture and f-stop is the smaller f-stop number the larger the aperture...

Good composition can take an average photo and make it GREAT! Today I am sharing 5 tips to take your photos to the next level! The wonderful part of this is that each of these tips are simple to do and will quickly improve your photography. Rule of Thirds You’ll find this artistic rule applied to almost every area of the visual arts. Basically, this rule requires you to imagine dividing your viewfinder into thirds both horizontally and vertically--making nine sections. Where the lines intersect are great places to place the focal point of your photo. Shooting Perspective Finding a...

Starting out in Photography? Save yourself the time and find your answers here. We've put together a list that we know will save you hours of researching. Find the answers to some of the most popular questions here. There are 20 questions about starting a photography business answered! Thanks for being a friend of Pretty Presets. We are so grateful you are here! (Free through March 31st, get it today!) 1. Print Labs (can be used by Photographers) 2. Consumer Labs (can be used by anyone) 3. Camera Straps 4. Camera Bags 5. Photo Books 6. Photo Rentals 7. Monitor Calibration...

Want the resource guide? Come join our group to download it for free ($20 value)! Starting out in Photography? Save yourself the time and find answers here. We've put together a list to help you get started and save you from having to research it all yourself. Find the answers to some of the most popular questions here. There are 20 questions about starting a photography business answered! (Free through March 31st, get it today!) 1. Print Labs (can be used by Photographers) 2. Consumer Labs (can be used by anyone) 3. Camera Straps 4. Camera Bags 5. Photo Books...

Your camera needs light in order to make beautiful photographs. And, it needs just the right amount of light to make a nicely exposed photograph. The Big Three Your camera has three ways of letting light in--the aperture, the camera shutter, and the sensitivity of the sensor (ISO). I call these the Big 3. Balancing these three to let in the right amount of light is what shooting in manual mode is all about. Your camera’s light meter is how you work to balance the Big 3. The light meter will look something like this: When your light meter has...

Capturing photos of kids can be a bit of a daunting task sometimes. They are typically on the go and are not always easily guided into natural expressions. In fact, most kids have their "photo face" that is a cross between a grimace and forced smile. These are my favorite tips for capturing more natural facial expressions and photos of kids. These can be used with your own kids or with kids you are photographing for a client. 1. Engage Them in Play When photographing them seems more like play and less like "photos" kids will relax and give you...

I don't know about you, but I use my phone and other mobile devices for almost everything--including business. I get many inquiries via Facebook message and text. Most clients want pricing information and it is super handy to be able to send them some immediate information along with the link to my site. Today I wanted to share this FREE Mobile Pricing Guide to help you share your business and pricing with your clients using your phone or iPad! To use, simply open the Photoshop files in Photoshop and customize them to your liking. Then...

Where I Started I haven’t ALWAYS shot in manual mode. When I bought that first SLR camera, I had just learned what aperture, shutter speed, and ISO were and how they worked together to make a good exposure. I KNEW how to use manual mode, but I figured that was the “old school” way of taking photos. After all, my new camera had lots of fancy buttons so why not use them. The problem with this mode of thinking came when I would look at the photos I had taken and the exposure just wasn’t what I had envisioned through...

Perhaps you have seen people working in Lightroom that have switched out the typical Lightroom logo in the upper left for their very own logo or text. It is super easy to do and actually quite fun to see your own name or logo grace the corner of Lightroom. You can watch the video below as I customize Lightroom or you can follow the steps below the video--whichever is easiest for you! Making Lightroom your own is as simple as creating an identity plate. You may have created an identity plate before if you like to add your logo...

Today’s post is the last in the Mastering Lightroom in 7 Days Series. As I thought about what to share in this last post, about 100 things rattled through my head. I’ve tried my best to condense those down and am going to share all my final thoughts about Lightroom. Exporting Photos for Print and Web This is one the topics that many Lightroom beginners have questions about. Exporting photos from Lightroom is the way that you take those photos that you have edited and share them with the world. The settings you export your photos with will change depending...

10 FREE LIGHTROOM TEMPLATES FOR YOU We're so excited to have this Lightroom Template Bundle for you! It's completely free and includes templates for Facebook and your blog. Something I appreciate about our private group on Pretty Presets (which you should join HERE) is the feedback we receive. So many great ideas are shared on how we can enhance your business. Whether it be through blog posts, the webinar material or through products. One idea that was shared, was the idea of Lightroom Print Templates. These templates are not only fun to use, but will save you the time of having...

It's 2:47am. You are snuggled so warm in your bed fast asleep, maybe even having an amazing dream. Until the most annoying, loudest sound from your phone wakes you up with a jolt. It is a call you've been waiting on for weeks. It's finally time, as in baby time. You throw on your clothes and grab your gear and a little "survival" pack, and in a matter of minutes you are out the door and on the road to the hospital. You are a birth photographer in charge of documenting a baby's arrival earthside. There is nothing quite...